Papers used for ink-jet printing often come in a variety of types of surface finishes. Typically, these surface finishes are categorized according to the level of glossiness, such as gloss, semi-gloss, and matte. In many applications, gloss, even if in a small amount, can be desirable, such as with photo paper. In such cases, it can be very costly to formulate coatings that provide an adequate amount of gloss without losing other desirable qualities of the media such as water fastness, bleed control, etc. Often times, this requires the use of a greater quantity of materials and/or use of higher-quality or more expensive materials. Both can greatly increase the manufacturing costs. Additionally, the use of some materials in coatings prohibits their use with particular manufacturing methods, such as cast-coating.
It is desirable, therefore, to create an ink-jet media that provides glossiness without adversely affecting desirable properties of the media. It is also desirable to provide the media in a manner that can be easily manufactured and does not drastically increase the cost.